HUMAN STEM CELL RESEARCH

Media reports, 2003 & 2004

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2003-MAR-7: MI: Youth recovers after stem cell treatment:
Dimitri Bonnville, 16, had been accidentally shot in the heart with a nail
gun. During open-heart surgery, he suffered a massive heart attack. His
only two options were to go on a waiting list for a heart transplant, or
try an experimental stem cell procedure. He chose the latter option. He
has since obtained "substantial recovery of cardiac function." The
stem cells were harvested from his own blood. Scientists hope that this
was not a fluke, and that the treatment may be able to help other children
and youth. However, there are doubts that this option would help older
patients. William O'Neill, chief of cardiology at Beaumont Hospital said:
"We know that based on age, older people have less recovery of heart
function. It's very possible this is age-dependent." Dr. Sam Dudley, a
cardiologist and stem cell researcher at Emory University in Atlanta, GA
said that it may be hard to know if the patient's improvement was due to
the stem cell therapy, and, if so, how it worked. He said: "I think
this is a wonderful thing that they did. We have to (proceed) judiciously
because we need to know a little bit more what we're doing." 1

2003-MAY-9: USA: Few useable stem cell lines remain: According
to the Family Research Council, only 11 of the original 70 stem
cell lines are still useable for research. The rest appear to have died
off or spontaneously converted to one of over 200 types of human cells. 2 The
remaining 11 lines are expected to become useless in the
near future.

2003-OCT-13: Australia: Country becoming an international leader:
The Australian Broadcasting Commission reported that:

"Australia is fast becoming an international leader in the field
of stem cell research. While legislators in Europe and the US continue
to restrict embryonic stem cell research, Australia is seen as
comparatively liberal in its approach. And some of the world's leading
stem cell researchers, currently meeting in Melbourne, say that Europe's
loss will be Australia's gain....Australia is poised to pick up new
researchers, and research, that might otherwise have been done overseas."

After an extended debate in 2002, culminated
by a free-vote, the Australian Parliament authorized the use of new human
embryos in stem cell research. 3

2003-DEC-10: MA: Scientists converted stem cells to working sperm --
in mice: Scientists at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical
Research in Cambridge, MA, working with others at Boston hospitals
and Harvard University, took stem cells from a region of an early mouse
embryo and coaxed them to develop into sperm capable of fertilizing a
mouse ova. This experiment could eventually lead the way to allow
infertile men to produce viable sperm, and thus have the option of
fathering a child. By isolating the right type of embryonic cells, they
were able to produce a self-replicating line of germ cells in their
laboratory. These were injected into mouse eggs, and the first stages of
fertilization took place in about half the cases. In about 20% of the
experiments, a blastocyst was formed. However, there is no indication
yet that the blastocyst could mature to produce a viable fetus and a
live birth. 4

2004-JAN-4: NJ: New
Jersey becomes second state to permit stem cell research: Governor
James E. McGreevey signed a stem cell research bill into law. Such
research is now permitted in both New Jersey and California. Bills are
pending in Illinois and New York. Accompanied by Christopher Reeve,
Governor McGreevey said: "Today we celebrate the possible in our
state. It is our obligation as a people and as a state to move the
frontiers of science forward." Reeve noted that many people had
asked what stem cells could do to cure his spinal cord injury. He said:
"It is not about what stem cells will do for one individual. What it's
about, this legislation, is about whether or not we have the courage to
protect the freedom of ethical and responsible scientific inquiry."
Marie Tasy of New Jersey Right to Life said: "We were hopeful
that perhaps he would take the expert opinions and concerns into
consideration before formulating his final decision, which unfortunately
he did not." 5

2004-JAN-8: U.S.: Senate Majority leader
urges review of stem cell policy: Senate Majority Leader, Bill Frist,
MD urged a review of the President's three year old restrictions on
federal funding for stem cell research. Fifty eight senators --
including 14 Republicans -- sent a letter to President Bush this week
urging the use of unused, spare frozen embryos for stem cell research. A
similar letter was issued by 206 representatives during May. Former
president Ronald Reagan's death due to Alzheimer's Disease gave new impetus
to the expansion of stem cell research in order to find a cure for that
and other diseases. Steve McConnell, of the Alzheimer's Association
said: "We're getting increasing signals from Capitol Hill that
there's strong interest," in changing Bush's policy. Laura Bush,
interviewed on ABC's Good Morning America program said: "We need
to balance the interest in science with moral issues." She said that
there are alternatives to "abusing embryos" in research. "There
are stem cell embryos ready that people can use for research, but it's a
very delicate line," she said. Tony Mazzaschi of the
Association of American Medical Colleges says, referring to the
suffering of Ronald Reagan and his family, said: "I expect the pressure
on the president to adjust his policy to continue building."

Currently, 78 lines of stem cells are listed in a federal
registry. However, only 19 are usable for research. All contain
contaminants that make them useless to treat humans. 6

2004-JUN-12: U.S.: John Kerry endorses
research using embryo stem cells: John Kerry, the presumed
Democratic candidate for the presidency in 2004-NOV endorsed Nancy
Reagan's efforts to help find a cure for Alzheimer's. (See next item).
He challenged the Bush administration to relax restrictions on stem cell
research in order to pursue potential cures for this and many other
illnesses and disorders. He said that ethical questions can be resolved
through "good will and good sense." He said that researchers can
find cures:

"if only they are allowed to look." Kerry said that
Nancy Reagan "...told the world that
Alzheimer's had taken her own husband to a distant place, and then she
stood up to help find a breakthrough that someday will spare other
husbands, wives, children and parents from the same kind of heartache."
Kerry said: "If we pursue the limitless potential of our science, and
trust that we can use it wisely, we will save millions of lives and earn
the gratitude of future generations." 7

2004-JUN-13: U.S.: Bush administration defends
prohibitions on stem cell research: President Bush's campaign
spokesperson, Scott Stanzel, said that present prohibitions and
restrictions on stem cell research are conducted "in ways that
respect human dignity and help build the culture of life....Under
President Bush's thoughtful leadership, for the first time federal
dollars are supporting human embryonic stem cell research consistent
with the ethical guidelines."
8

2004-JUN-14: U.S.: Nancy Reagan advocates the
use of embryo stem cells: In the words of the Daily News:"The family of former President
Ronald Reagan declared political war on the White House yesterday over
President Bush's ban on stem cell research." Former president Reagan
died a slow death due to Alzheimer's; the disease took over a decade to
kill him. Apparently many in the ex-president's family agree with
researchers in the field that embryo stem cell research offers a very
promising future in the treatment or even cure of Alzheimer's, diabetes,
Parkinson's disease, ALS, and dozens of other degenerative diseases and
disorders which harm -- or will harm -- hundreds of millions of
Americans. Ronald Reagan's daughter, Patti Davis, wrote in Newsweek that
her mother:

"...has emerged as a central figure in the effort to get
the federal government out of the way....If that phrase about the
government sounds familiar, it should. I grew up hearing my father say
often that the government should get out of the way." She called
Nancy Reagan "the voice for stem cell research now." She feels
that this role has "placed her firmly against the White House - at
least those currently in residence there."

Reaction was swift:

Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), a moderate
Republican agrees with the Reagan family. He said on CBS' Face
the Nation TV program: "The real pro-life position here ...
is to use these stem cells....We ought to give scientists a free
hand."

James Dobson, founder of the
Fundamentalist Christian group, Focus on the Family, compared
freedom of research using stem cells to the atrocities committed by
Nazi scientists who experimented on living individuals during World
War II. Dobson said: "The people that are demanding this are ...
using a grieving widow to try to make this case to the American
people."

Daily News reports that during the week
of 2004-JUN-6:

"...58 senators from both political parties sent Bush
a letter asking him to ease his hard stance. Representative Gary
Ackerman (D-NY) introduced the Ronald Reagan Memorial Stem Cell Research
Act in the House." 8

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2004-JUN-20: NJ: State may fund of embryonic stem cell research:
Governor Jim McGreevey is expected to announce funding of embryonic stem
cell research worth 6.5 million dollars. This would make New Jersey the
first state in the U.S. to use public funds for this purpose. McGreevey
cited Nancy Reagan's comments in favor of research. He said:

"Nancy
Reagan's courage and dignity in calling for stem cell research will
hopefully be the foundation for the White House changing its position.
In New Jersey we clearly understand that stem cell research offers the
greatest amount of hope and possibilities for thousands of citizen that
suffer from Alzheimer's disease, cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's disease
and other diseases....This is not a Democratic or Republican
issue. This is an issue of providing hope and opportunity for a
potential cure for our citizens, their families and their friends."

State Senator Bernard Kenny said:

"Stem cell research has become an
issue of national significance, and New Jersey has taken the lead. This
is an effort to advance the science and technology, which can improve
the quality of life of people. The governor and this legislature have
seized a historic initiative." Assemblyman Louis Manzo (D-31st
Dist.) said: "This is not about politics, it is about life and
health. The governor and our state will take the lead in providing hope
to people who have Alzheimer's disease, Sickle Cell disease or Diabetes.
No one can realize the impact and benefits this research will produce.
And this stand will resonate long after the ink has faded on the
legislation....Potentially this research will unlock the door, and
will give us a savings in human life and will reduce people's pain."

"I hope that one day soon, the people across the
country will be able to benefit from research that will derive from
Governor McGreevey's stem cell legislation. The fact is, with so many
couples having in vitro fertilization, the rise in extra embryos makes
hope available. If a couple donates their eggs it's their personal
choice to help a person in need of a cure, and they are the true heroes
in all of this."

Several Roman Catholic bishops have stated that they would not issue
Holy Communion to the governor and other legislators who voted for the
bill. Senator Kenny responded:

"This is about using our intellectual
abilities to improve the delivery of health care services. This is the
humanitarian position to take. We need to find a cure for the insurable.
This is not political. It is simply the right thing to do." 9

2004-JUL-28: Ron Reagan supports
embryonic stem-cell research: In a speech before the Democratic
National Convention, Ron Reagan, the son of the late former President Ronald
Reagan said, in part:

"It does not follow
that the theology of a few should be allowed to forestall the health and
well-being of the many. And how can we affirm life if we abandon those
whose own lives are so desperately at risk? 'The tide of history is with
us. Like all generations who have come before ours, we are motivated by
a thirst for knowledge and compelled to see others in need as fellow
angels on an often difficult path, deserving of our compassion.''

Democratic candidate John Kerry has said that he would rescind President
Bush's ban on research if elected. 10

2004-AUG-28: Stem Cell laboratory
firebombed: Police revealed that an explosion that blew out a number
of windows at Amaranth Bio in Watertown MA was caused by a pipe bomb.
The lab specializes in therapeutic cloning. Nobody was injured.
Watertown police have identified a "person of interest" who may be
involved in the explosion. The FBI is assisting in the investigation.
11

2004-NOV-02: CA: Proposition 71 on the
ballot: If passed, Proposition 71 would allow the state of California to
invest 3 billion dollars of state funds in embryonic stem cell research. It
has the support of Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, many Nobel
Prize winners, the late actor Christopher Reevertly before his death, the
California Chamber of Commerce, actor Michael J. Fox, and George P. Shultz,
secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan. Some feminists are
opposed; they fear that the demand for embryos will create "egg farms."
Social and religious conservatives are generally opposed, mainly because
they regard 5 day old embryos as human persons. State funding may be the
only way that stem cell research will produce cures. Venture capital is
generally not available, because of the time line: medical treatments may be
decades away. Investors generally want faster return on their money. 12

2004-NOV-15: WI: Governor announces plans
to build research facility: This week, Governor Jim Doyle (D) announced
plans to spend $750 million to build an embryonic stem-cell research
institute on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He said:
"Other states, like California, are trying to play catch-up and
build from scratch what we already have here." He added that Wisconsin
has the "best scientists in the world and first-class research
institutions." The money will come from both
state and private sources. 13

Related essays on this web site:

Cloning and stem cell research are unrelated lines of research. However, they
both start with an ovum and initially use some of the same techniques.